


Feathers of the Sun

by lepetiterik



Category: Saiyuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22046086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lepetiterik/pseuds/lepetiterik
Summary: An imagining of the little yellow bird’s perspective on the “10 Years Ago” chapter.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10
Collections: Minekura Secret Santa 2019





	Feathers of the Sun

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skysedge](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skysedge/gifts).



> To Jen: You wanted angst and reincarnation, I hope I have done okay on both fronts.
> 
> Thank you to Seedling Lotus who read this over for me and gave me the title.

The pink petals of the cherry tree waved brightly in the cool spring breeze against the brilliant blue sky. High above, a little yellow bird flew determinedly North towards the mountain range. With his little wings spread wide, he glided through the air before diving down to rest on the top of a tall tree. The little bird just had to make it to the mountain range. Every wind seemed to blow North and, even when he rested, there seemed to be a sweet birdsong calling from the mountain.

Once he had rested, he took off again towards the mountains. The distance was far for such a small thing, but bird pushed on. He had to. Something called to him there.  


About halfway up the mountain, the bird noticed a cave. After a moment of consideration, the bird decided to fly closer to investigate. Something about the cave seemed both foreboding and inviting. He circled a little before flying down and landing on a little ledge before the opening of the cave. There was a rock formation that seemed almost like bars with paper stuck to it. 

Odd.

Normally human litter wasn’t up this high. The bird had never seen anything like that outside of a city. Hopping down to the ground, the bird pecked at one of the pieces of paper. Being a bird, he couldn’t read the scrawled handwriting, but the little bird assumed it had to be something important for it to be stuck this well to some rocks.

A breeze ruffled the bird’s feathers and he glanced up, noticing something move inside the cave. 

Normally that would be enough to send the bird fluttering away, but...what was in there? It felt both dangerous and familiar, and yet…

And yet, the bird found itself hopping closer.

A beast?

A bear?

No…

 _A boy._

With a few more hops, he was right at the edge of the bars. A gust from behind ruffled his feathers further and with an undignified chirp, he found himself inside the cave. The boy looked up from where he was curled up at the back. The bird held still, barely daring to move. Barely daring to breathe.

Then the little bird let out a chirp and got closer to the boy. The boy flinched backwards. The bird tipped his head. This boy seemed more scared of a little bird than the bird was of him. Well, the bird though, I can always fly away. This boy can’t. That must be it. 

They looked at each other for a long moment before the boy set down a hand. The bird considered it before he jumped a little closer with another chirp. With one more hop, he jumped right up into the boy’s hand. 

Oddly, the bird found he wasn’t afraid of the claws on the boy. The boy’s hands shook as he held him, almost afraid of hurting the little bird.  
The bird pecked lightly at the boy’s hands in greeting. 

“Hi,” the boy said, almost too quiet to hear. The bird chirped, tipping his head curiously at the boy. Then whistled for him with a pretty little birdsong.

The boy transferred the bird to one hand, carefully rubbing the little bird’s neck feathers. The bird basked in the attention. He whistled again for the boy, who laughed a little. The bird sang again and grin spread across the boy’s face. “You’re a pretty bird,” the boy crooned, fluffing the bird’s feathers. The bird trilled in delight, bouncing in the boy’s hand.

They continued for several hours, the boy gently touching the bird, and the little bird singing to him.

* * *

The bird soared up the mountain, barely slowing to reach the boy. _Goku._ The boy had said his name was Goku. He had said he didn’t know why he was there or why he couldn’t leave, but that he has always been there. 

The little bird liked his new friend. By all logic, he should have been scared of Goku. He was a human and he was much bigger than the little bird. And something locked in that well should have had the little bird for lunch. But he found there was something delightful about the boy. Goku always gently held him, taught him new tunes to sing, and kept him warm on chilly days.

The smile that always greeted the bird as he soared into the cave and the familiar feeling the boy gave off always felt like coming home. Like singing in the branches of a cherry tree on a warm summer day. 

The bird landed on Goku’s knee, pecking gently at his leg, chattering quietly.

“Hi there, little bird,” Goku said, smoothing the bird’s feathers. The bird trilled for him before hopping on his finger with a flutter of wings. Goku picked him up, laughing brightly as the sun poured into the cave.

The little bird chirped and then sang for the boy. Goku whistled back to him. The little bird pecked at his hand to say that it was only his turn to sing. 

Goku listened and when the little bird finished he congratulated him. “What a pretty song!” If birds could smile, this little yellow bird would have a self satisfied one.

* * *

The leaves had long since fallen and the bittern wind blew from the North. The little bird’s flock had flown South to warmer winds and bluer skies. 

But the little bird could not leave Goku. When the boy laughed, it was like flying in the sun, warmth on his wings. And when Goku smiled, it felt like a summer breeze carrying him higher into the sky.

The little bird shivered on the branch just at the bottom of the mountains. It was too cold to stay up there with the boy all the time now. And all the food was hibernating, frozen, or already dead. He frequently had to fly down to warm up his little bones, not that the cool air at the base of the mountain was much warmer.

Still, he had to visit Goku. He knew the boy was lonely and leaving him felt worse than the cold. 

High above, snow started to fall in big fluffy clumps. The bird sat for a little longer, trying to find the energy in his cold body to fly to the mountain. Maybe Goku could keep him warm. Hold him in his hand like before and close to his body. Even if he didn’t have food that far up, he could stay warm with Goku. 

Dusting the snowflakes off, the bird flew towards the mountain.

The bitter wind started to fight him, pushing him back. The little bird shook his head and forged on. 

As he flew higher, the wind began to bat him around. 

Left. Right. Down. Further backwards. 

Barely knowing where to fly, the bird kept trying to right himself. Goku would be waiting for him. He just had to get there.

A hard gust of wind sent the little bird spiraling down, dangerously close to the ground. The trees rushed up to meet him and the little bird thought this might be the end.

At the last moment he managed to regain control but as he pulled up and out of the trees, clipped a wing on a branch. 

The storm grew worse as the little bird continued to be battered by the wind. He dipped a few times, almost falling out of the sky. 

There! The cave was in sight! He just had to glide inside. Then he could rest his wings. 

He could almost see Goku inside. The wind rushed up to meet him and blew him off his course. 

Wings tired and nearly frozen, the bird could not stop in time, hitting the rock face just above the opening to the cave.

The little bird never felt himself hit the ground.

* * *

Somewhere in a warmer place, a baby stirred in a basket as he bobbed along with the stream. In the distance a bird sang. Something seemed familiar but the baby only gurgled and slipped back into sleep.


End file.
